French in rage over Joubert

Cape Town – In the wake of the 8-7 Rugby World Cup final defeat to the All Blacks, the French public have laid the blame at referee, Craig Joubert’s doorstep.

Shortly after Joubert had brought the curtain down on the tournament, a few French supporters decided to ‘alter’ his French Wikipedia page.

According to Die Volksblad, French tabloid, lescandaleumag, who tweeted the occurrence, some two hours after the match had ended in which the altered Wikipedia insert repeatedly makes reference to Joubert as a ‘cheat’.

“(Sic) He did not see the mistakes (from the All Blacks). He was undoubtedly single-eyed,” read one of the sections on the page and ended with “VOLEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUR” (which means ‘thief’ in French).

The French voiced their disgust much in the same manner many South Africans have towards Bryce Lawrence after he took charge of the Springboks’ quarter-final match against Australia which they lost and in so doing, ended their four year reign as the world champions.

The French would have none of it as they started accusing Joubert of failing to notice All Blacks captain, Richie McCaw’s ‘illegal’ actions at the breakdown and that he had gotten away with murder.

McCaw has also been on the end of a fair bit of criticism himself after the French noticed that he had not mentioned his opponents during his post-match interview.

However, a few Springbok supporters believe Joubert was 'outstanding' with some South Africans even tweeting that he was their man-of-the-match.

Wallabies flyhalf, Quade Cooper, who is an avid tweeter, expressed his views of the final online and managed to be quoted on the tournaments official website.

“(Sic) France were great all game, but congrats to the Kiwis for winning the RWC. After 3 RWC's as favourites it's good to see them win.”

Sport24

Comments

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 08:52

sorry Kiwi mates, seems that there is an overwhelming consensus that Richie Mc Cheat was yet again given special treatment & that the All Brats are treated differently, seems that Paddy Obrian has the officiation firmly in his grip & he will don anything to see that the Brats are treated differently to other teams.

Absolute twaddle. Joubert had a good game and McCaw got away with very little as far as I could see on TV.

sam.kaitawa - 2011-10-24 09:34

Sorry Prod but I tend to agree with Ian

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 09:38

Guys, just admit it, Craig Joubert failed to officiate the game fairly, NZ were given special treatment, its all over the worlds pages, the IRB are no better than Fifa, money\power talks & the refs listen, even Craig (sadly).

@TheProdigy, the press have an agenda to make money from the news. I trust them less than a pakistan cricket player.
Tell me the exact times of the game where RM infringes and I'll rewatch the game tonight on PVR

sam.kaitawa - 2011-10-24 09:58

You mean, this is hailed as the most successful WC to date? Is that what you're saying because general WORLD CONSENSUS says it's a winning formula for success, apparently NZ will hold another....read the papers bro....not only gold but ranked No 1
Home of RUGBY
Personally I love the deft touch of the engraver as he engraves the entitlement of those before him.....let me say in simple words........WE are the Beater and the Omega.
The only conspiracy as I see it is that Saffas still think the world is flat

Alan - 2011-10-24 10:03

@ Sam. Just love the Kiwi humility and intellect - a nation that we can all respect. Give my regards to BaaBaaRa.

Nzbro - 2011-10-24 10:37

Theprodigy
tell me this: If richie mccaw was a cheat as you allege, how come he won the IRB man of the match 3 times and is again nominated this year for a 4th time as we speak?
Bear in mind that the panel that selected him are all independent ex players of which francois pienaar is also a member.

rossallenronnie - 2011-10-24 10:49

Johan people are quicl to say sore losers when your team win i like to hear when new zealand get cheated what you will say congrats for winning the world cup after 24 years i must agree you win fear and square but bryce lawrence is a disgrace for the new zealand people the BOKKE WILL BE BACK

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 10:51

@NzBro, that isa very good question, how come did he win it, Im just as stumped as you are.

nasheenar - 2011-10-24 12:23

What on earth are you talking about sam.kataiwa. South Africans think the world is flat ????? is that an opinion or a conspiracy, you make absolutley no sense. What do you guys learn on that Island of yours?

nasheenar - 2011-10-24 13:05

I dont recall reading any news headline where they said best WC ever.You guys got your facts very wrong rugby never originated in NZ so not sure why you say home of Rugby. Headlines are however saying "Thierry Dusautoir has scooped the 2011 International Rugby Board Player of the Year award at their gala event in Auckland's Vector Arena as well as Man of the match".

Glen - 2011-10-24 13:41

@Nzbro - David Pocock won man of the match in the quarter final Australia v South Africa, the WHOLE world noted the poor performance by ref Bryce Lawrence. If Bryce had done his job and penalised as directed by the Laws of rugby, Pocock would have had no influence (or very little anyway) on the game and would not have been man of the match. Richie McCaw gets away with murder in the games (not his fault because refs allow it) and therefore is deemed a great player, would he still be as great a player if he didnt get away with all he has over the years? We will never know. Its in the book, IRB player of the year 3 times, well done to him!

Maarten - 2011-10-24 14:10

I agree with the Frenchis. AB's once again got away with murder. Joubert screwed up!

Ax - 2011-10-24 15:59

it was planned in advance, the ref was maybe gently convinced to overlook all blacks mistakes.
End of the day, ref or no ref, average performance from the all blacks, intentional disabling of Parra who the all blacks knew would be their demise if he took only one penalty, so they made sure to break his neck not once but twice, and with their experience, they made it look like it was part of the game.
Frankly this final left a sour taste, a bit like the South African defeat against the Australians, the best team didnt win in both cases.

Roger - 2011-10-24 16:17

Hear hear Theprodigy, could not have put it any better!!

Gestoffle - 2011-10-24 17:56

I wonder how many of the Kiwi's on that field are are born in NZ....I say the islanders won the WC. They should be called "All Black Islanders" or "New Zealand and islands"
Wonderful to have feeder nations supplying you players......

Gestoffle - 2011-10-24 18:00

If you know anything about rugby, CJ had a bad game. There were over 14 errors that i picked up.....sorry guys, I love the man, very proud of him. But I am not going to BS myself, sorry. The Kiwis were very lucky I am very sorry to say.

John - 2011-10-24 22:56

Siener pull your head out of your 4ss and sien .

John - 2011-10-25 03:14

Ian ur a moron .. good game my 4ss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo

Lionel - 2011-10-24 08:54

I thought Craig had a good game and an all round great tournament,French have themselves basically to blame,they had all the possesion and territory but could not finish,well done to the French though you guys gave the AB's a good run!!!

Grant - 2011-10-24 11:19

Disagree in part. France played well - they didnt let themselves down. Craig Joubert had an okay game, but he definately erred on the side of caution when penalising the all Blacks. He didnt let them get away with EVERYTHING, but he definately turned a blind eye to a few infringements that would have been within kickable range.
Basically, what we have here is a world-class New Zealand team, who will never in their hearts be able to believe that they WON the world cup on their merits alone. They were sheltered from having to play a threatening Springbok team, and were again sheltered from facing a strong Welsh team (the only team who gave the Boks a run for their money). Then they win by a single point against a French team who didnt merit a place in the final...only because the ref was a bit scared to give critical penalties?
The shallowest of all-time world cup victories...

John - 2011-10-24 13:52

Of course that is the problem with the WC. One doesn't have a chance to play all the best teams e.g SA in 2007 (didn't play the AB's) and so on.
1 point is enough though, SA beat the AB's in 1995 by 3.....now that was a great game as well, ahem.

Gary - 2011-10-24 08:59

jumping on the bad ref band wagon

Gerald - 2011-10-24 09:14

Gary who taught them. Now we can feel what it is like to have one of our countrymen to be branded a cheat. What goes around comes around

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 09:02

well seems like the only ones not on the "bad officiation wagon" are the AB supporters that have their heads in the sand, educate yourselves & go read what the Aussies, Brits & French are saying on their news sites!

Sam - 2011-10-24 09:15

You mean "go read what all the teams that lost are whinging about on their news sites"?

Peter - 2011-10-24 09:48

You, sir, are a bad loser. Are you Piet van zyl?

Nicholas - 2011-10-24 09:57

Couldn't agree more! If the ab's standard of play yesterday is what we've got to expect from world chimps for the next 4 years God help rugby. I was an ab supporter until they let the French rattle their cage all over the field. Should be ashamed to call yourselves champions or show your faces on a victory parade. Victory for clinging on desparately and cheating! French should be on the victory parade for showing the world once again that the ab's choke under pressure.

Nzbro - 2011-10-24 11:10

@ Nicholas
consider this for a moment:
When carter got injured everyone wrote off the All Blacks claiming a choke in the making. Carter was a major player thats out of the rwc, Enter slade and he gets injured, Enter cruden and he gets injured. our No 9 had to fall in as kicker which was not his job and then he falters in a final. Enter donald who was never the best kicker but he has composure and a good runner and could direct the match. Can you imagine the pressure on a team with so many No 10 leadership setbacks on the eve of a rwc final?
3 of the best No 10's out of 5 available now out of the rwc.
Can you now see the depth they had to dig as a team to remain composed against such odds and face a charging french team that sensed blood, add to that an expectant crowd of 4.4 million fans .
Is it possible for such a team too still win a rwc final under that pressure? Not likely aye. and yet they did win it.How on earth was that possible I hear you ask?
In comparison your bok team lost 1 important kicker frans steyn and that was your rwc over. If he was there to take that 45 mtr kick against Oz that morne missed who knows aye.
So I believe the AB standard of play was exceptional under those trying circumstances and most weaker teams would have collapsed by half time.
Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! ( THIS DEFINES US AS THE ALL BLACKS )

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 13:48

@peter sir, no I'm not a bad loser, you are confused, if you read my posts I have always said that the Boks should have finished off the Aussies despite the pathetic level of officiation, what I am though, is a principled person that expects games to be fairly officiated. Im also not a hypocrite, when our own ref does not do his job properly, I'm man enough to say it, unlike most of you Kiwis.

John - 2011-10-24 13:56

Hey Prod, depends which newspaper you're reading.
Anyway, doesn't matter which way you see it, the All B;acks are World Champs and you can orchestrate any sort of enquiry you like or moan and whinge and go cry to your mama, but nothing will change the result. Etched for all time....tough luck man!

Hugh - 2011-10-25 11:35

Joubert had a good game, I didn’t notice him which is a good thing. The game flowed and France, sadly didn’t get their kicks over. That said, neither did the AB's. A fair contest, as a neutral. The AB's won, and we'll hear how great they are as if they have done it every year since the RWC inception, not as the first time as an all inclusive tournament. (As a Saffa, the first one didn’t count; anyway the Cavaliers lost their tour to SA in '85, a shallow victory)
McCaw isnt a cheat, he pushes the boundry which is his job, he is just very good at it. At least he doesnt squeal like Fitzspatrick use to.

Rita - 2011-10-24 09:07

Now the French can feel the way the All Blacks felt after 2007 when they were robbed by bad refereeing!!

Doug - 2011-10-24 09:43

If it was a Nz ref the french wouldve lost by at least 10 more points.

Juan - 2011-10-24 09:15

Also think that McCaw got away with a lot and that the All Blacks were lucky to have a Southern half referee. The IRB needs to sort out the rules and make sure its the same for north and south. I am glad NZ finally won and they deserve winning the tournament but they weren't the best team yesterday. I also think that this World Cup had the worse kicking display ever! I think people underestimate how good Morne Steyn is.

Skinfaxi - 2011-10-24 10:10

In NH a player isn’t even allowed to fall on the wrong side of the ruck, never mind camp there. If there had been a NH ref AB’s would have been playing with 14 men.

DuToitCoetzee - 2011-10-24 11:29

What is funny to me is that before the WC I made 2 comments. The one was that defense must be good, but the teams with the better runners in the open game will be the ones going to the final. Ok, lets leave that there.
My 2nd comment was that I am worried that the NH refs allowed more time at rucks to gain the ball that can lead to more playing on the ground and that it will suits "certain" SH players in the "stronger" teams. This was based on the matches before WC. The funny part was that it happened, but got allowed by SH refs.This, to me, was not what I saw before the WC.(style of reffing by SH refs)
I still try to figure that one out. Was there an instruction of how to handle certain parts of play or what? Please do not see me as a moaner. I h'v just pick that up and would like to know if it was only me?

philip.spies - 2011-10-24 09:16

I find it extremely ironic that the French who except for the final had an extremely average world cup, and who only made it past Wales due to a red card which could have easily been just a yellow, are now complaining about the ref. I watched the game as a neutral fan, and I thought Joubert had a good game. France should just accept that they finished second, ahead of some teams who were better...

Michael - 2011-10-24 09:18

Maybe all the missed kicks could be the reason for France losing the game. Stop pushing the blame eslewhere. The AB have been the best team in the world for a long time now. ( And I'm a huge SA fan by the way). Well done AB's, well deserved. Unlucky France, you played an excellent game. ( But your self same home town media where abusing you the whole tournament )

brad.norval - 2011-10-24 09:20

The losing team will always blame the ref. Just learn to accept defeat when it comes, the ref is human and these things happen!

Eugene - 2011-10-24 09:23

I hope NZ remunerate Craig Joubert well after he refereed them to the final and then to champion status which they definitely did not deserve. Nonu's early try in the semi was never a try and he missed scores of blatant infringements and high tackles yesterday. The ABs didn't deserve this cup: Average in the pool stages, struggled against Argentina, beat a weary Oz side that was softened up by the Boks and weren't the best side in the final. Oh yes, and the didn't play the best side in the world en route to the final: The Springboks. Worthy champs? I think not. The true test for any team is to win it when you're not hosting it.

tim.hickson1 - 2011-10-24 09:42

I'm sorry must have missed Boks vs AB's and Boks vs Aus in '07. Were they televised?

Justin - 2011-10-24 09:50

but when Springboks won without playing Aus/NZ in the 2007 tournament, it was ok for them to be crowned at Champs. Don't be a hypocrite. The boks were wooden spooners in this 3nations, but you claim them to be best side in the world in 2011??? Give credit where its due!!

danalexsmith - 2011-10-24 10:05

Hi Eugenem why was Nonu's try in the semi not a try? - I watched it from 4 different angles on super slow mo and paused it at the point of offload.
the pass from dagg to nonu was good - even though I was sure dagg was out before rewatching it in slow motion about 20 times.

celeste.mcgrane - 2011-10-24 13:19

Best side in the world?? Have you been sleeping the past couple of years?

Phil - 2011-10-24 13:20

The Kiwis could hardly play the Boks could they Eugene..........they were all back in South Africa playing Currie Cup rugby!

Eugene - 2011-10-24 15:11

@ danalexsmith: Dagg was definitely out before he passed that ball and Joubert immediately awarded the try without even consulting the linesman (who also should have said something) or referring it. Very poor decision and could've changed the outcome. If we had a decent coach and assistant coaches we could have been on top throughout the last four years. Still we whipped the ABs arses in PE before the WC when we had our top players back in the fold. We overwhelmed them in 2009 and in 2008 we had a new coach and a WC hangover. This year doesn't count, we played with our B team most of the time.

cobus123456 - 2011-10-24 09:28

Nope sorry France you lost because you did not take the opportunities presented to you. And get a bloomin kicker.

Johan - 2011-10-24 10:43

...just like the loser Proteas... ..did not use their opportunities (Bismarck and Hougaard)...

richard.hipkin - 2011-10-24 11:00

@Johan, just how stupid are you? The Proteas is our national cricket team you moron... hahahaha!! Obvious troll being obvious.. oh boy, IQ of 4.

Just like our 1995 tournament, fixed. Just like 1995 the outsiders to the anglophile strangle hold on rugby were not given a fair go.
The French have every reason to be pissed. Joubert to Ritchie. You are lying on the ground playing the ball. Next time I will penalise you. WTF penalise him dont talk about it.
Joubert delivered a great open game but he failed to apply the law as it is.
Can you honestly say that was fair and consistant application of the law?
IRB has failed in its main event to attract more supporters and has done irreversible damage. Rugby is dying unless we can clear up the inconsistantcies.

Gershwin - 2011-10-24 09:34

He did do a great job but he couldve done better there were 2 high tackles that he ignored, even Naas said that he couldve refed a better game, but still think he done a great job well done Craig

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 09:51

@ Gershwin...he "missed a LOT more than that, Naas wasn't joking when he said he could have reffed a better game, but then again Naas doesn't work for Paddy & that my friend is the difference.

Chrono - 2011-10-24 09:35

Well, even one kickable penalty not awarded in a close match such as this means the result could have been different. Rugby is in its infancy as far as officiating is concerned, although it claims to be a professional sport. The SA-Australia match alerted me to the distinct possibility of match fixing that is rife in rugby. The IRB is a closed organisation, allowing no criticism and playing its cards close to its chest. I will not be caught out watching professional rugby until measures are implemented to ensure that the rules are adhered to. As it is rugby is a total farce. Someone allowed Bryce Lawrence to officiate in the SA-Aus game (against the rules) because he was to go-to man to see SA exit from the competition. NZ must have choked horribly yersterday judging by what I read today and they would surely not have been able to stand up to the Boks who were getting better and better as the competition progressed.

Mark - 2011-10-24 09:36

Well done AB's....however until you won a World Cup away from home you won't be in the same Wcup league as SA and Aus !!

nasheenar - 2011-10-24 15:38

Nicely said Mark

Mark - 2011-10-24 09:36

Guys, lets be honest - whether we are French, Aus, Irish, Welsh, South African, Samoan etc... As a SA supporter I am just wanting rugby to be rugby. I think that each side in this world cup had terrible decissions and overall terrible refereeing. I do not understand what the hell is going on in our beloved game. We have three perfectly sighted referee's attending to each game with a fourth (ususally the half blind one) watching the TV. How can so many calls be made that are incorrect? it is making the game useless as the final outcome is decided by the person who we do not pay to see. It kills me to say this but even though France were the better team yesterday, NZ did deserve the overall win - but that is not how rugby is supposed to work is it? it is who is the best on the day and who shows up at the tournament - but with all the absolute garbage decissions that were made over this tournament it kind of provides some sanity. I cannot fathom how it is possible for that beanpole ref, who has never played in a scrum let alone a front row can have any cooking clue as to what is going on - let alone any other ref - and simply penalise at random. How many times have teams been penalised for putting their hand on the floor yet come the playoffs, this rule seemed to disappear. Also watch how when NZ team clean out a ruck, they are allowed to come through wherever they feel like and hold on to opposing players in order to take them out the game. I just want my rugby back.

danalexsmith - 2011-10-24 10:11

Mark, well said. I still cannot understand why FIFA won't use goal-line technology. I can only guess that it is to keep human error as part of the game. Just look at how much publicity the ref problem is getting. I firmly believe the only way for the public to make waves is to vote with their pockets. stop watching. dont pay. force the issue. put the ball in their court.

Fareed - 2011-10-24 12:45

@ Mark
This is what happens when you get people playing God in sport it becomes a farce!!
The AB”s road to the cup was paved for them and still they nearly messed up !! Springboks had to be out of the picture, they posed too much of a threat to the Rugby mad Kiwis.
Joubert was also way to kind to the home team they practically got away with murder at the break down!!
Fair and square World Champions?? I think not. I am sure Paddy has enjoyed his stay in NZ!!!!

John - 2011-10-24 16:04

The Bokke a threat to the AB's......you should do stand-up mate LOL

Marcus - 2011-10-24 09:50

Joubert was under strickt orders -- from Paddy -
I think both Jouberts and Lawrence where the ones who got shagged ! so true

Peter - 2011-10-24 09:53

Its amazing how the refs are only bad when your team loses.
Read some tweets from John smit and Victor Matfield and other top SA rugby players about how they feel about the ABs winning. Grow up. Really.

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 09:59

Oh Peter, please...players have to tow the line, the IRB makes sure of that, rather read what non Kiwis are saying on blogs, then you will get the true story, Privately John Smit & Victor Matfeild are sick & tired of pro-AB officiation, like the rest of the world.

Peter - 2011-10-24 10:02

Would silence then not be a better comment?

Bertrand - 2011-10-24 12:01

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 13:30

@ Bertrand, what we have been saying all along..now it has finally caught the worlds attention, & the mention of Paddy O Brians complicity in all this, hits the nail on the head....it is shocking...watch this space for many more youtube videos showing the All Brats getting away with murder.

Skinfaxi - 2011-10-24 09:54

"However, South Africans believe Joubert was outstanding and thought him to be the man-of-the-match."
Whoever wrote this didn't read the comments of what the educated rugby public think.

John - 2011-10-24 09:56

French rugby, leave IRB and let anglo-saxons between them.
They don't want you, they hate you, won't let you win a "world" cup that must stay anglo-saxon and it's clear, it's not world cup rugby but anglo-saxons rugby cup !!!
Thank you IRB and Joubert and shame on you. A marvellous example of fair-play for your sport.

Peter - 2011-10-24 09:58

No-one has mentioned that Joubert is in fact a French surname.
Maybe he was deliberately bad as pay-back for the persecution against his ancestors!!

Phil - 2011-10-24 09:59

Joubert made some errors ...what is new , which ref didn't?
There are some good Refs (who sometimes have a howler) and some bad Refs (who sometimes have good games) .......that is what we have to live with or improve.
What I cannot understand (and it is not just Joubert) is why Richie's "crimes" at the breakdown are not penalised.
The other thing I cannot understand are the absolute Peanuts who can see some sort of conspiracy in all of this!
I await their detailed explanation on how they think this conspiracy is organised and who exactly is behind it.

Nicholas - 2011-10-24 10:09

Must be Julius! IRB president next year for sure.

Skinfaxi - 2011-10-24 10:06

Let’s face it modern rugby revolves around quick ball. That is why at the start of this tournament we told that the referee would favour the team going forward to eliminate negative play.
15.4 (b) The tackler must immediately get up or move away from the tackled player and from the ball at once.
Watch this game again and ask yourself two questions: 1 is the referee favoring the team going forward or is negative play taking place unpunished? 2 Is Richie McCaw rolling away after the tackle? If so why is he being rucked off the ball with boots? Why can you not see the ball, just a black jersey with a number 7 on it?

Sharkshoot - 2011-10-24 10:13

McCaw was lying on the opposite side of the scrum at almost every breakdown...no hands in the air to show he was there and was retreating...and the ref did nothing...

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 10:29

Interstingly McCheat arrogantly did not even compliment the French, all he & Henry could talk about is how good the All Blacks are, At Sharkshoot, couldn't agree more.

Paulus - 2011-10-24 10:25

Joubert was absolutely shocking in that game...........and whoever does not agree should rather watch water polo cause u dont know..........shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

Hennie - 2011-10-24 10:26

Craig,you did our South Africans proud.Well done.

Skinfaxi - 2011-10-24 10:37

On the day, it is arguable that the Kiwis were not the better team and referee Craig Joubert undoubtedly gave them the benefit of the doubt in the majority of the 50-50 calls in the first half, along with an odd refusal to penalise a number of clearly high tackles. - By Brian Moore. The Telegraph.
Proud of that? Actually sounds a bit Brycish to me.....

Jason - 2011-10-24 10:34

Not really a World Cup Final if you ask me, AB's well done!!

raymond.malan1 - 2011-10-24 10:34

N.Z WORTHY WINNERS!!!! THE DEFEAT HURT!!!!!! BUT THAT IS HOW IT IS. AND TO ALL OF YOU THAT REFRAIN TO SOUR LOSERS........ NOT ALL OF US. HARD LUCK MY BELOVED LES BLEUS, HARD LUCK.

Murray - 2011-10-24 10:34

@ siener.van??? - write in a language we all understand; and maybe you will get a warmer reception - or maybe not.

Jenny - 2011-10-24 10:40

Why are South African rugby supporters so single minded an can see no fault in their own? Joubert had a poor final with the All Blacks getting away with murder.

Ther French are nothing but "bad Losers" .............. the were given many chances by Joubert to win the Game, but kicked crap!! who must we blame .............. Referees are human, all humans make mistakes .............. we lost to Wallabies, due to a ref as well ............ we moved on!!

sjg7373 - 2011-10-24 10:55

I agree! All-blacks were offside at the rucks again and again, and made a lot of mistakes at the breakdown, especially towards the end when France was on the attack. French did not deserve to win the WC, but they deserved to win this match. NZ choked, and should not have won. I like Craig, but I think he was to intimidated to make the right calls.
Bryce was still much worse though!

tinaanddanie - 2011-10-24 10:59

FRANCE WAS CHEATED OUT OF THE CUP LAST NIGHT!!!! GO BACK AND WATCH DONALD'S 44th MINUTE PENALTY GOAL... WATCH IT IN SLOW MOTION AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE AND YOU'LL REALISE THE BALL NEVER CROSSED THE POSTS. INSTEAD IT PAST ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE RIGHT HAND POST. GO HOME AND WATCH IT AGAIN AND YOU'LL AGREE THE OUTCOME OF THE WORLD CUP HAD BEEN PLANNED LONG BEFORE IT BEGUN.

Nzbro - 2011-10-24 12:16

so you are saying that the 2 touch judges standing right under those post that you were watching on TV from 20 000 miles away missed what you saw? And so did the 60 000 ab/french fans at the field too?
And dont forget the 15 french players standing ready to charge the ball ?
Is that what you are saying?
Ok got it.

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 14:10

@ Nzbro, the ball went over, why did they not show another angle, why was there no review, both touches got it wrong, I watched it 10 times & it went over all 10 times, but that is not where it ended (or started, for that matter), there were countless calls that were blatantly in NZ's favor, from skew line out throws, to McCheat lying all over the ball, slowing it down the whole game, the Keiran Read offside, no not offside, france does exactly the same thing, ping, 3 points to NZ, got it yet???

Tim - 2011-10-24 11:01

It's quite possible Craig Joubert missed some McCaw transgressions. McCaw and Pocock are the most accomplished serial offenders under the scrum in world Rugby. Joubert did penalize McCaw on a couple of occasions, clearly to McCaw's great surprise (because he was caught, not because he thought he wasn't breaking the rules, he can't be that stupid) , but there are bound to have been several times when McCaw got away with it, he does it so often and so shamelessly. It would take an extra match official dedicated full time to watching McCaw (and Pocock) alone to cure those two of their addiction to cheating. BTW, how was Piri Weepu's choke!?
But the win is nice for the Kiwis. Well done, AB's.

Allen - 2011-10-24 11:03

Gees, from what I saw the frogs missed two sitters in front of the posts. This would have given them the win. They can only blame themselves, as they played the better rugby and had the ABs on the back foot a lot of the time. Great game tho'

Johnnie - 2011-10-24 11:07

Great tournament except for the long white cloud that Godfather Paddy O'Brian casted over it! Joubert was bad yesterday and definetly ensured NZ would win it. Referees seemed to be programmed to blow NZ all the way to the cup.

Byron - 2011-10-24 11:16

Fair enough I am a saffa and I thought he was shocking!! So ends the world cup stitch up.

markwmilligan - 2011-10-24 11:34

Sorry to say Joubert had a shocker. I think he is a good ref but he had a bad game. He missed a number of high tackles and the AB's were constantly infringing. I think the AB's were lucky to win. Well played France.

Bokfan - 2011-10-24 13:28

Couldnt agree more. This was another world cup where rugby lost much more than it gained.
Sad to say Union is in trouble with such shoddy management of professional cheats like McCaw et al.
Looking at the stats on the board it had the same lopsided field and other advantages to the French as in the Bok game but for penalties awarded AGAINST the smAll Blacks. The SB try came from a a penalty given against the French when Mcaw was clearly guilty of not releasing the tackled player. It was inside the SB half ,was kickable and would have had the French in front. Instead wrong call by the ref saw the SBs on the attack. Criminal
This was followed by numerous incidents where mcCaw found himself off his feet on the wrong side preventing the ball from coming back on the French side allowing teh SBs to counter ruck.
Any decent school ref would have given McCaw a warning followed by a yellow for repeated fouls.

Bokfan - 2011-10-24 13:42

Couldnt agree more. This was another world cup where rugby lost much more than it gained.
Sad to say Union is in trouble with such shoddy management of professional cheats like McCaw et al.
Looking at the stats on the board it had the same lopsided field and other advantages to the French as in the Bok game but for penalties awarded AGAINST the smAll Blacks. The SB try came from a a penalty given against the French when Mcaw was clearly guilty of not releasing the tackled player. It was inside the SB half ,was kickable and would have had the French in front. Instead wrong call by the ref saw the SBs on the attack. Criminal
This was followed by numerous incidents where mcCaw found himself off his feet on the wrong side preventing the ball from coming back on the French side allowing teh SBs to counter ruck.
Any decent school ref would have given McCaw a warning followed by a yellow for repeated fouls.

Jaco - 2011-10-24 11:38

Bad losers! Maybe if they kicked better they would have won.
Joubert did not have a brilliant game, but it was not bad either. The All Black deserved to win and some payback back for the SA vs AUS game!

Johannes - 2011-10-24 12:11

ALL BLACKS -PAST 2 YEARS WORLD NO1 RANKED TEAM AND WORLDCUP WINNERS-THE STATS SPEAK FOR ITSELF!MAGNIFICENT DEFENSIVE EFFORT WON THE GAME AND THESE BLACKS ARE ONLY GONNA GET BETTER.......

marius.coertze - 2011-10-24 12:21

Craig Joubert failed to penalise Richie McCaw's flagrant and regular illegal play at the rugs and mauls, where McCaw managed to either steal or slow down the French ball. What makes it so much worse, is that McCaw's illegal antics at the rugs and mauls are well-known in the rugby world. On this point Joubert turned the same blind eye as has done Bryce Laurence with Pocock of Australia one week earlier. Also, 50-50 decisions all went the All Blacks' way. The French has good reason to feel cheated. Nieu Zealand should give Joubert a huge present or bonus for aiding them to win the game.

Jim - 2011-10-24 13:06

You mean like the gold watch given to the Welsh ref by Louis Luyt in 1995.

Yoggi - 2011-10-24 12:42

It's not only the French who think Joubert lacked the moral fibre to penalise the kiwis, check out comments on the British press. Why was play allowed to go on with a frenchman down near play, yet when Cruden (good old Scot's name) went down play was stopped, not to mention penalising France at a line-out for faking an injury!!?? Far too keen to give the ungracious kiwis the advantage.

Bokfan - 2011-10-24 13:43

Dude they didn't start cheating yesterday. They have had plenty of time to master the art
Remember the "lets teach these japies a lesson ' email between NZ and AUS refs back in the day.
"Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it".
Rugby must be saved from Small Black professional cheating

Barry - 2011-10-24 13:21

The game is over. We can all have opinions on this important issue.
It is really up to the IRB to come out publicly on the officiating issue. Making best use of technologies available and also bringing the assistant refs more into the game in these areas where possibly the ref is missing the infringements.
It can only help stop have the ref as an excuse for the result plus have a better 2015 RWC

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 13:34

heard a rumor this morning that Bryce Lawrence has been suspended from refereeing for a year, anyone else hear about this potentially excellent news??

Joanita - 2011-10-24 14:00

for a year? should be suspended from any world cup tournaments! a year means he might be back in 2015? lets hope he is to old then to even be in the running!

Alan - 2011-10-24 13:43

The only reason the All Blacks won was because the Springbok were not playing!!!!

Phil - 2011-10-24 15:46

Oh but they WERE playing Alan ............in the Currie Cup!

Mark - 2011-10-24 13:53

like I said earlier, we are all losing out on the rugby we love due to the poor reffing. We may all argue with who is favoured and who is not - who is a better team or not - but it all comes down to the same problem - three on field refs and no one can get the calls consistantly correct. How does a skew line out not get called? it is impossible. The assistant ref stands in the middle of the line out - yet every game there are skew line outs that are thrown and let go - there was a blatent one yesterday, yet nothing. So is the rule there or is it there when we feel like it? Hand on the floor in the scrum - penalised sometimes - how is that possible ? - your hand either touches floor or it does not touch the floor, there is no in between. Scenario: You are in a semi-final (trailing 9-7 with 1 minute to go) and your opposition puts his hand on the floor in the scrum and you win because your penalty is converted, next week you go into the final and the new opposition does it in the last minute (in front of the post) and you are once again two points out and this time no penalty!! In fact YOU get penalised because of some other ridiculous reason! lose the game. How is that enjoyable to anybody? The answer is simple, refs get to explain their actions after the match just like the captains. They are negativly marked with a financial loss for every incorrect call. So if they are paid say 20k per match, they get a grand off for every blatant mistake, along with the assist refs.

JLMNi - 2011-10-24 13:53

France; GET OVER IT!!! You're just as bad and pathetic as South Africa!! learn to DEAL WITH IT and learn that you can't win EVERY GAME! Joubert was just doing his job!!!

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 14:16

JLMNi, the question is which job did he do, the one to officiate the game in the best possible, most equitable manner, or the one for Paddy..& no they are not synonymous, they should be, but they are not.

Mark - 2011-10-24 14:18

@JLMNI forget what the commentators are saying in this clip. Just imagine this was your team and watch how rubbish these decissions are. It is not acceptable no matter what team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XBqetaCfgo&feature=related

Zion - 2011-10-24 14:28

On this side of the law, on that side of the law: who is right and who is wrong. This referee issue is now really starting to get out of hand. Some say he is good and others claim he is bad. Must I now believe my fellow countrymen based only on patriotism or must I believe the mercurial French? What is the truth or does the truth rest uncomfortably on someone's conscience or is it staring at us in the face and we look away because it might make our own kind look bad. While I cannot speak for the French or for that matter, Never-never land I will categorically state that our attitude towards referees has changed drastically. Referees have made mistakes, sure, but referees know more about the rules than all the comments on this forum. However there is an attitude around that commenters know it better than the ref. There-in lies the problem. In the good old days it was maintained : Referees are always right.

Theprodigy - 2011-10-24 15:09

well in your good old days, you didn't have TV, these days we do have TV. If you took the time to browse websites other than News24 (seems to be a NZ fan pastime), you will quickly realize that people all over the world, ones that understand basic rules, are not so impressed with the way NZ won yesterday. Start by viewing the link in Marks post, then try reading Fox News & BBC Sport...don't bother with the NZ Herald though, for obvious reasons.

Smell - 2011-10-24 18:15

A refreshingly non-biased contribution from Zion who will no doubt quickly forget that the French are evidently bad losers too. Like all rabid sports fans the world over. Another Bok hater theory punctured. Hegel in practice.